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One of the big complaints that automakers had with America's fuel economy legislation a few years ago was the potential for California to lead the way in setting up its own, more-stringent rules that would lead to a "patchwork" of mpg laws. That never happened because the federal government came in and established a national standard of 54.5 mpg by 2025. A newer automotive legislation push – again led by California – is aiming for another big milestone by that same deadline.

Despite the fact that they are both zero-emission vehicle technologies that can be powered by renewable energy, there's no question that advocates of plug-in electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are sometimes at odds with each other. So, it's nice when we get a somewhat neutral analysis of the two technologies, and that's what a commentary written by Carlos Uribe, a Seeking Alpha Market Exclusive contributor, does, laying out why EVs will win, hands down.

Wait a minute, you're counting the Volt here? EV World giddily reports that for what may be the first time in modern US automobile history (i.e. not counting the turn of the 19th century), there are more electric vehicles on US roads than there are gas stations beside them. Specifically, there are about 120,000 electric vehicles, compared to about 119,000 gas stations. Granted, that gas station number is based on 2007 estimates, but EV World says any growth in chain stations has likely been offs

John DeCicco is starting to make a name for himself speaking out against green cars. In June, he said electric vehicles won't help much unless the energy well they tap is cleaned up. He's now back with an article in a Yale University publication called Environment 360 that we're guessing some people won't like very much. DeCicco says that government subsidies and mandates, including the electric vehicle and alternative fuel vehicle campaign championed by the Obama administration, are a big waste

Tesla Motors appears ready to add a third model to its alphabetic lineup following the Model S and Model X. The company filed for a new US federal trademark registration for "Model E" on August 5th. The filing says next to nothing about what the Model E could be used for, only that it applies to "Automobiles and structural parts therefor" and is "Perfect for these industries: Vehicles and Products for locomotion by land, air or water." So, technically, it could be a stylish, expensive plug-in el

A concours d'elegance (French for "parade of elegance") is a high-zoot, high-buck display of mostly pristine historic and collectible automobiles, most of them unaffordable to most of us. Probably the best known such events in the US are the nose-in-the-air Pebble Beach Concours in Monterey, CA, the younger, fresher Amelia Island Concours north of Jacksonville, FL and the Meadow Brook Concours in suburban Detroit.

Lithium-ion batteries have two big hurdles to climb if they're going to power millions of plug-in vehicles – they're too expensive and their reliability has been called to question. For next-gen li-ion batteries to make it, there had better be a cheap and plentiful component. How about rice husks?

Nissan can see an upside to the tough new emissions rules in London and turn it into a great promotional opportunity. The London Congestion Charge has been tightened up so that the vehicles that are eligible for exemption from the hefty daily charge of 10 British pounds (a little more than $15 US) that it costs to access the city's downtown streets was recently revised from an emissions threshold of 100 grams per kilometer down to 75g/km.

Coda Energy has been officially unveiled. As Coda Holdings, Inc., and its Coda Automotive electric carmaker subsidiary, has closed bankruptcy sale proceedings, the energy storage division is now ready for business.

Plug-in electric vehicles are heading for another global market, South Africa, but it may take a while. Eskom, a South African electricity public utility company, told the legislature it will conduct a three-year study to see if the local power grid can handle a bunch of plug-in cars.

Nissan Europe would like to see sales of its Nissan Leaf go up – how unusual – and has brought in an experienced marketing executive to make it happen. Jean-Pierre Diernaz moved from Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti, where he served as director of marketing and communications, to become Nissan Europe's first director of electric vehicles for the region.

Treehuggers and gearheads unite! Long viewed as primarily the green-car enthusiast's domain, electric vehicles can actually be just as satisfactory for pedal-mashers, provided that there's a charging system nearby, writes Blake Herrschaft for the Rocky Mountain Institute.

Car shoppers are getting some pretty sweet deals on plug-in electric vehicles lately, with Honda joining the price cutting war with its Fit EV. Now that the early adopters are no longer in the market – they have theirs now – automakers are being pushed to bring down sticker prices to increase sluggish sales. The big question has become: What if these new car owners are dissatisfied with the EV experience?

Consumers now have some real choices for deals on electric vehicle chargers, whether exploring options through Home Depot, setting up an all-in-one package when buying their EV or going with Bosch for the cheapest Level 2 home charging station on the market.

The mystery of potentially dangerous lithium ion batteries continues to hang over sales of vehicles using this technology. Experts who recently testifyied before the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that failure of the technology has slowed development of electric cars and other applications of the batteries.